===== Summarizing Efforts =====
TIM offers the user the chance to summarize the potential accumulation of monetary or temporal efforts within a process. Efforts may be summarized for either individual tasks or an entire instance.

==== Summarizing efforts for a task ====
The tab labeled **Efforts** is most easily reached using the context menu of a task. A table listing the summarized efforts appears in the opened screen. Using the **Summarize Efforts** button, the accumulated efforts are summarized. A form is then opened (see screenshot), in which the necessary information will be stored. 
\\ {{:software:tim:trackefforts.png?500}}

^ Field ^ Description ^
| **Effort Type** | Choose whether the selected effort is summarized on a monetary- or a temporal basis. |
| **Description** | An additional description may be given here in order to summarize the effort in greater detail. |
| **Cost center** | The appropriate cost center is entered here. |
| **Effort** | The magnitude of the effort is summarized here (cost = currency, time = minutes) |



The summarized efforts for a given task are listed in the table that is found in the "Efforts" tab (see screenshot).
{{:software:tim:trackefforts_2.png?900 |}}

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==== Efforts of an instance ====
As with the efforts for a task, the efforts for a given instance are most easily reached using the context menu. However, efforts may only be summarized for individual tasks and not for entire instances. Consequently, the button **Summarize Efforts** is missing from the **Efforts** tab. In order to provide the process manager with an overview of all involved efforts, the cumulative efforts for all of the tasks is listed (see screenshot).
\\ {{:software:tim:trackefforts_3.png?900 |}}

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==== Exporting effort reports ====
The efforts of an instance can be exported as an Excel file. The effort reports are accessed via the option **Show available reports** within an instance's context menu (see screenshot).
\\ {{:software:tim:trackefforts_4.png?500}}
\\ \\ The exported excel file contains all summarized efforts as well as the cumulative effort of the instance (see screenshot).
\\ {{:software:tim:trackefforts_5.png?900|}}